Our Way of Life

The purpose of this page is to give a brief overview of some of the distinct aspects of the Christadelphian way of life. Although we largely share the traditional Christian teachings when it comes to morality, we do have some distinctive practices based upon our understanding of the Bible.

Sunday Meetings

Christadelphians meet once a week to worship God, and remember the sacrifice of his Son Jesus by breaking bread and drinking wine. All baptised members take bread and wine (1 Corinthians 11:23–26; 12:13; Matthew 26:26–30). Apart from the bread and wine, this meeting consists of prayers, the reading of a chapter or two from the Bible, hymns and songs, and an ‘exhortation’ (word of encouragement, similar to a sermon) based on the Bible. A different member of the ecclesia will speak on a subject from the Bible every week (Ephesians 5:19; 1 Timothy 4:13; Hebrews 3:13).

Daily Bible Reading

The practice of reading the Bible daily has been a feature of the Christadelphian community for many generations. A good comprehension of the Bible is considered to be an essential aspect of discipleship and all Christadelphians are encouraged to develop in their knowledge through the regular reading of the Bible. Most Christadelphians follow a specific system of daily reading known as the “Bible Reader’s Companion”. With three portions of the Bible per day, this takes an individual through the Old Testament once, and the New Testament twice annually. It is the habit of many Christadelphians to be reading these portions as the natural part of each day, both within their own homes and also in one another’s. Meeting to do the readings together is common amongst Christadelphians.

Objection to Military Service

Christadelphians do not, and have never served in the armed forces. Those who become Christadelphians after joining the military or police are expected to try to leave by legally and scripturally appropriate means. If Christadelphians are called up for compulsory military service they will refuse to fight, no matter how serious the situation for their country. All forms of hardship, including persecution, imprisonment — even death — are considered preferable to serving in the military. As a consequence, following Word War 2, Christadelphians were recognized by the United States Government as as the most consistent of all religious groups in resisting armed service. Christadelphians are not pacifists however. Their reason for not serving in the military is that they live as “strangers and pilgrims” according to the Biblical command (Heb 11v13-14). We consider ourselves citizens of the Kingdom of God, and not the kingdoms of this world. As citizens of God’s kingdom we are not at liberty to fight on behalf of another (John 18v36).

Non-Participation in Voting or Politics

For the same reason Christadelphians do not participate in voting or politics. Although Australia has a compulsory voting system, the non-participation of Christadelphians in voting has been consistently recognized by the Australian government. As strangers and pilgrims we live in this country like permanent residents — working, paying taxes, obeying the laws, but not participating in changing and shaping the system itself. As citizens of the Kingdom of God, voting in this world’s elections would be a division of loyalty (Matt 6v24). We are also opposed to Jury service for the same reasons.